Abbas: I'll Present New Initiative Soon

Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority (PA) said, Sunday evening, that he intends to present a new initiative to advance the peace process soon. During a meeting with representatives of the Geneva Initiative, which calls for Israel to make land concessions to the PA, Abu-Mazen said the status quo cannot continue and that the initiative will reflect the PA stand on all issues. He added that he will make a decision within a month of receiving Israel's response to a letter he sent to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu regarding the future of the PA and the future of its application to the United Nations for recognition as a sovereign state.

Abbas said that as long as he is in office, the PA will maintain security cooperation with Israel. He added that he was close to an agreement with former prime minister Ehud Olmert.